WASHINGTON, Nov 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The United States remains confident
that denuclearization “promises” made during a historic summit between Donald
Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will be fulfilled, a State Department
spokesperson said Thursday.
The comments came after state media in Pyongyang said Kim had supervised
the testing of a “high-tech” new weapon that Yonhap news agency called
successful.
“At the Singapore Summit, President Trump and Chairman Kim made a number of
commitments regarding final, fully verified denuclearization and creating a
brighter future for North Korea,” the US statement said.
“We are talking with the North Koreans about implementing all of those
commitments,” it continued. “The President has made clear that if Kim Jong Un
denuclearizes, there is a bright future for North Korea.”
“We remain confident that the promises made by President Trump and Chairman
Kim will be fulfilled.”
Trump and Kim met at a historic summit in Singapore in June, where they
signed a vaguely worded document on denuclearization of the peninsula.
Progress has since stalled as Washington and Pyongyang spar over the
meaning of the document, and a return to testing would cast grave doubts over
the future of the process.
The North Korean reports of a new weapon did not specify the device
involved but said the “high-tech tactical weapon” had been developed over a
long period and “builds impregnable defences of our country and strengthens
the fighting power of our people’s army.”
Pyongyang’s suspension of testing for nuclear weapons and ballistic
missiles has been key to this year’s rapid diplomatic developments and North
Korean-US negotiations, and has received repeated praise from Trump.